1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing system having a printer device which includes a communication control portion and a print engine carrying out a print processing, is connected to external equipment by the communication function of the communication control portion via a USB interface, and inputs the electric power into the print engine by a print request from the external equipment to perform the print processing in a printer standby state in which the electric power of the print engine is reduced while maintaining the communication function of the communication control portion, and an information processing device to be connected to the printer device as external equipment via the USB interface, and a method of controlling the printer device in the printing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in response to a worldwide upsurge of interest in energy problems and environmental problems, a reduction in electric power consumption by electronic equipment or the like used in daily life is further necessary, and restrictions such as an EuP command (Directive on Eco-Design of Energy-Using Products) or an International Energy Star Program Ver 1.1 have been implemented.
Hitherto, in such electronic equipment or the like, during non-use after the electric power input, a standby low electric power consumption mode for shutting off the electric power supply to an unnecessary circuit or the like to automatically lead to a reduction in electric power consumption is set.
For example, in an image forming device such as a printer and a facsimile machine, it is configured so that, when a certain time elapses in the state in which no input signal is detected, a process is automatically shifted to “a standby low electric power consumption mode”, and an electric except for a circuit for performing the transmission and the reception of various data the electric source of unnecessary circuits is turned off, and when an image data or the like is received from the external equipment, the electric source of each circuit is returned to the on state, whereby the print operation is started up.
For example, there is a suggestion in which, even if the image forming device is in a low electric power consumption state, in a case of responding to a status received from a network, the response is carried out at an extremely low energy level and at a low cost (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-153192). In a technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-153192, an image forming device has a main CPU that is in a sleep mode and a sub CPU that has a lower electric power consumption and is not in the sleep mode, switches over such that the status information detected by a status detection unit is connected to the main CPU during a non-sleep mode and is connected to the sub CPU during the sleep mode, and is configured so that the sub CPU responds to a query from the outside during the sleep mode without starting up the electric source of the main CPU or the print portion. When the sub CPU receives the command from the outside, after determining the necessity of the sleep mode release, the sub CPU performs the start up of the necessary electric source. As the status information, each door/cassette open and close detection, an optional equipment connection detection or the like are described.
Furthermore, in a network system which was divided from the basic application Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-153192, with respect to the status query, an image forming device responds thereto during the non-sleep mode, and the system commands the server to perform a response proxy and relays the status information at the time of the shift to the sleep mode, and the server requests the image forming device to return from the sleep mode when the status is changed during the sleep mode (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-133512).
Moreover, a method and a system for externally processing a service request in advance so as to prevent an unnecessary waking of a node during the sleep mode, thereby improving energy conservation are suggested (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-070366).
In a technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-070366, in a network which has a network interface that is not in the sleep mode, a node 1 having a component 1 that is in a light sleep mode and a component 2 that is in a hibernation mode, a node 2 managing the sleep mode and a node 3 that is a client, the node 1 relays the node 2 of the sleep mode profile when entering the sleep mode and transmits the request from the node 3 to the node 2 during the sleep mode. The node 2 responds to the node 3 or requests the node 1 to start up the component 1 or/and the component 2 depending on the transmitted request. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-029102, as the component 1, for example, a digital-based component is described, as the component 2, for example, a machine-based component such as a print engine is described, and as the network interface, a USB is also described.
Furthermore, there is a suggestion that it is determined whether the release of the electric power saving mode is necessary for a packet received during the electric power saving mode, thereby responding, if unnecessary, for example, while maintaining a non-print request ping packet, SNMP, http or the like and the electric power saving mode (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-029102). In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-029102, a storage point for the status information of the print engine is not described.
Furthermore, there is a suggestion that, in an image output device having a user authentication device, when a print job is received during the energy saving mode, the job is accumulated in an accumulation portion, a return processing is performed from the energy saving mode when the user authentication is done, and the job is transmitted from the accumulation portion after the return is confirmed, thereby promoting the suppression of the electric power consumption (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-061634).
Moreover, an image forming device that can smoothly perform the return from the electric power saving state to a common electric power state is suggested (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-205714). In a technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-205714, in the image forming device having a plurality of functions, the return of electric power for each function is individually controlled depending on the user operation or the network communication. An operation portion, a network control device (FAX function), a network interface, and an electric power saving control unit are provided with the electric source constantly and are consulted when electric power returns, and the electric power saving control unit controls the electric connection situation of each function based on the information, generates a warning sound when an abnormality is generated in the return from electric power saving mode, and returns all of the functions from the electric power saving mode when an electric power monitoring system becomes abnormal.
Furthermore, an information notification device, which can suppress the electric power consumption to provide up to date equipment information within an image forming device when the acquisition request of the equipment information is received during the sleep mode, is suggested (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-011319). In a technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-011319, when an information notification device storing the equipment information indicating the print engine status receives the request of the equipment information from the outside while a print engine is not supplied with electric power, if within a predetermined time from the equipment information acquisition, the device relays the stored equipment information while stopping the electric power supply to the print engine, and if a predetermined time elapses, the device returns the electric power supply to the print engine, acquires and relays the equipment information from the print engine.
Moreover, there is a suggestion that, in an image forming device including an electric power management function, the information of the device is collected so that the power supply of the overall device may not be resumed upon entering an electric power management state, and the power supply of only a part of the device is resumed when an information processing device receives the resume signal (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-172044). In a technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-172044, in the image forming device including the electric source management function, a partial return unit, in which only a partial function is returned upon receiving the resume request is included, and the content of the resume request is determined, thereby deciding the portion to be returned. When the status information is stored before entering the sleep mode and the request of the status information is received from the outside, the power supply is only returned to a control portion and responds thereto. As the status information, an ink residual quantity, a paper residual quantity, error information or the like are described.
Moreover, an image forming device, which is adapted to suppress the electric power from being unnecessarily consumed when an abnormality is generated during the energy conservation mode, is suggested (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-165061). In a technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-165061, when an abnormality is generated during the power conservation mode of the image forming device, the generation of abnormality is relayed without releasing the power conservation mode. As the generated abnormality, a communication error and a device error are described.
Moreover, a printer device, which does not perform the reading of the information from a memory element on a printing cartridge at the time of operation in the power conservation mode, and is configured so as not to output the information of incorrect content as information on the printing cartridge even when the printing cartridge is changed during operation to the power conservation mode, is suggested (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-111818). In a technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-111818, when a storage unit storing the cartridge information is included and the cartridge change is sensed during the electric power saving mode, the electric power saving mode is released, the cartridge information is acquired again, and the information stored in the storage unit is renewed. In a case of having to output the information on the cartridge status, the information stored in the storage unit is output regardless of the power conservation mode (while the information is maintained at the time of power conservation mode). There is a description in which the cartridge change is sensed by the cartridge itself or sensed through the opening and closing of a cover.
Furthermore, there is a suggestion that, in an information processing device, even when there is a query about the status, a low electric power consumption mode of a portion other than a network interface is not interrupted (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-076451). In a technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-076451, a CPU portion controlling the overall information processing device, a print portion, a status storage portion that stores the status of the print portion, a network portion, and a sub CPU that controls the network portion are included, the portions other than the network portion can be shifted to the electric power saving mode. When the network portion receives the query request at the time of electric power saving mode, the sub CPU consults the status storage portion (while maintaining the electric power saving mode) and directly responds thereto.
In addition, a printer control system which can reduce the electric power consumption while maintaining the print efficiency is suggested (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-244833). In a technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-244833, a plurality of printers, a printer control device, and a plurality information processing devices are connected to each other via a network. When the print request does not exist for a predetermined time, the printers are shifted to the electric power saving mode, but an agency processing entrustment request including the printer information (the function, the paper size or the like) is transmitted to the printer control device at that time. While the printer in the electric power saving mode, the printer control device interprets the packet to be sent to the printer, accumulates the same in the case of print request and returns the printer from the electric power saving mode, and stops the packet procuracy reception when the start up is finished, thereby transmitting the accumulated print request to the printer.